Photos: Living without basic amenities inside the Sariska Tiger Reserve

May 05, 2018 10:14 IST

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A man hangs a light-emitting diode (LED) lamp at a home in Kraska village, Rajasthan. Kraska falls under the critical tiger habitat (CTH) part of the core area of the Sariska Tiger Reserve. (Anindito Mukherjee / Bloomberg)

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A woman cooks food by fire, the only light inside her home in Kraska village. The government has been trying to relocate Kraska and other villages under the CTH area in order to create an inviolate region free from human presence that can allow the reintroduction of tigers in Sariska for a number of years now. (Anindito Mukherjee / Bloomberg)

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The guidelines of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), say that Rajasthan government had notified an area of 881.11 sq. km as CTH in December 2007 after news of tigers in Sariska being wiped out emerged in 2005. (Anindito Mukherjee / Bloomberg)

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A woman cooks in her home in Kraska village. While a few villages have opted for the government’s relocation package of ₹10 lakh to every adult member of the family, resulting in the creation of sanctuaries for female tigers ST-3 and ST-5 and their progeny around Bhagani village, the majority have stayed on stalling the efforts. (Anindito Mukherjee / Bloomberg)

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A man listens to a battery powered radio at a home in Kraska village. Some families don’t want to leave their homes and others are sticking it out in hope of a better deal. Authorities don’t intend to provide or maintain utility services to these areas. (Anindito Mukherjee / Bloomberg)

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A woman sweeps the ground as cattle feed from a trough in Kraska. Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje in April 2018 directed the forest department to not shift any tigers to Sariska till a safe habitat for the big cats was made. The standing committee of the State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) also recommends immediate relocation of 26 villages from Sariska. (Anindito Mukherjee / Bloomberg)

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A scene outside a home in Kraska at dusk. Former officials of the reserve and forest have said that the prolonged delays in the relocation and repopulating efforts are working to Sariska’s detriment as a sanctuary for tigers and also as a competitor to Ranthambore for wildlife tourism. (Anindito Mukherjee / Bloomberg)

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Kraska is among 26 villages that fall under the Sariska Tiger Reserve’s critical tiger habitat in Alwar, Rajasthan. Reserve officials and conservation efforts demand an inviolate aree conducive to tiger populations and free from human presence before efforts to repopulate Sariska can go ahead. The government has offered Rs 10 lakh to every adult member in the family to relocate but most villages like Kraska have yet to move. Authorities don’t intent to provide or maintain basic amenities in these areas and residents would rather not move or wait for a better deal.